Speaker Bio
Jada Pinkett Smith
Actress/Advocate
DontSellBodies.org
A talented actress, producer, director, author, singer-songwriter, and
businesswoman, Jada Pinkett Smith has approached her career with the
utmost poise and versatility, capturing the hearts of fans and colleagues in
the industry with every new project. Born and raised in Maryland, Jada
studied dance and acting at Baltimore School of the Arts and North
Carolina School of the Arts. Her resourcefulness and determination led
her to a variety of professional opportunities, most notably NBC’s long-running series A Different
World, which launched a successful acting career in television. In 1993, she landed her first feature
film role, playing that of a single mother in Menace II Society, opposite Samuel L. Jackson.
Following this was a role in Jason’s Lyric, opposite Allen Payne, and The Nutty Professor, with
comedian Eddie Murphy, making her a household name in film.
In 1997, she married rapper and actor Will Smith, with whom she has two children: Jaden and
Willow. She earned a global praise for writing the children’s book “Girls Hold Up The World,” which
landed on the New York Times best seller list. She and Will founded The Smith Family Foundation,
dedicating their organization to urban inner-city youth and family support as a way to give back to
the community.
Jada’s acting careers continue with her participation in The Matrix: Reloaded and The Matrix
Revolutions in 2003, sequels to 1999’s critically acclaimed, The Matrix. In 2004, she won the
Interactive Achievement Award for “Outstanding Achievement in a Female Character Performance”
in the video game Enter: The Matrix. In 2008, as a star studded collaboration, Jada joined forces
with Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning and Alicia Keys to produce the film adaptation of The Secret
Life of Bees-a New York Times best-selling novel. She both produced and starred in TNT’s
HawthoRNe, a medical drama series in which she played the role of full-time mother and chief
nursing officer Christina Hawthorne. This successful, three-season long stint landed her a NAACP
Image Award for Best Actress in a dramatic series.
Beyond the medium of TV and Film, Jada and husband Will Smith collaborated with record industry
mogul Jay-Z to produce the Broadway musical hit Fela which earned seven Accolades and three
Tony Awards and was recognized by USA today as the “decade’s most exhilarating musical.”
Focusing on her musical talent, Jada became the lead singer of formally known the rock band
Wicked Wisdom, now known as Wicked Evolution as they opened for Britney Spears during her
Onyx Hotel Tour. Her most recent musical project, a sensual ballad entitled “Burn” was released in
iTunes on Valentine’s Day in dedication to her husband, Will.
In 2010, Jada confidently took on the role as Executive Producer for the feature film, The Karate
Kid, starring her son Jaden Smith. Following this, she made her directorial and screen-writing debut
in the dramatic film The Human Contract. In 2012, Jada recently released the first installment of
her new web series, Red Table Talks, an intimate look at family, love and relationships. In addition,
set to release on June 8, 2012 she will be featured in the DreamWorks animation Madagascar 3:
Return to Europe, as the voice for Gloria the Hippo, which follows her earlier roles in the first two
Madagascar films alongside the voices of Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer and Chris Rock.
Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa was awarded “Favorite Animated Movie” at the 2009
Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Awards.